Refrigeration



Nov. 11, 1941. G. -M. BLOMQVIST ETAL' 5 REFRIGERATION Filed Aug. 24,1937 r 77/ 41v) ATTORNEY .ia mam Patented Nov. 11, 1941 .REFRIGERATIONGustav Marten Blomqvist and Sture Folke Torstensson,

Stockholm Sweden, assignors, by

mesne assignments, to Servel, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation ofDelaware Application August 24 In Germany Se 12 Claims.

This invention relates to refrigeration, and more particularly to adevice to 'facilitatethe removal of ice or other frozen matter. from ashallow tray adapted for use in household refrigerators.

- It is an object of this invention to provide an improved device whichcan be conveniently employed to remove the frozen contents of a shallowtray without the necessity of using heat or water.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved device forremoving a grid and ice cubes from a tray, the device in the presentembodiment which is illustrative of one mode of 'carrying out theinvention being independent of both the grid and tray so that thenecessity of providing duplicate mechanism on a number of trays or gridsto efiect separation of these members is eliminated.

The above and other objects and advantages of this invention will bebetter understood from the following description taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawing forming a; part of this specification, andof which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly broken away. f an ice tray positioned in adevice embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of the.

ice tray and device shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation of a modification of the device shown inFigs. 1 and 2.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a grid I is shown positioned in an ice trayll having a resilient bottom and side walls. formed of suitable metal,such as aluminum or stainless steel, for example, and about the upperedges of the side walls is provided an outward extending flange l2. Theflange [2 may be curved downward at one end wall, as indicated at M, toprovide a finger gri for the tray.

The tray II is shown positioned in a device l5 for removing the grid l0and ice cubes from the tray. The device I5 is preferably formed of sheetmetal and includes a base [6 and end walls l1 and I8. The base It alongits longitudinal edges is provided with downward extending flanges l9which may serve as supports for the device. The end wall I! includes anupper horizontal portion which extends toward the opposite end wall 18.The horizontal portion 20 projects inward beyond the end wall .of thetray II when the latter is, positioned on the base l6.

An arm or lever 2| is pivotally connected at 22 to the upperpart of endwall 18. The lever 2| is relatively wide and serves as a cover for 1937,Serial N... 160,582 ptember 3, 1936 The tray Il may be about 45 i may beat any other acute angle or even parallel beyond the end wall I! and iscurved to provide a handle portion 23. Qne corner of lever 2| near thepivotal connection 22 is provided with a ledge or-raised portion 24which is adapted to I8, as shown in Fig. 2. With the tray'l l 'posi- Itioned in the device l5, the lever 2| is moved downward at the handleportion 23, so that a downward force is exerted at one corner of thetray by the raised portion 24 of the lever. Since the greater partof'the bottom of tray l l is spaced from the base "S by the resilientridge 25 and upward movement of one end of the tray is preented by thehorizontal portion 20, suflicient deformation of the tray is broughtabout by downward movement of lever 2| to break the ice bond and loosenthe ice cubes from the tray.

It is notnecessary to'provide tray II in the device [5 because, afterthe lever 2| is lowered andbears against one corner of the tray, thetray is wedged between the ridge 25 and horizontal portion 20. Theheight of the ridge 25 may be as small as 0.5 to 1.00 mm. and stillpermit sufiicient distortion of the tray to loosen the ice cubestherein.

While the ridge 25 is shown at an angle of to the end walls l1 and I8,the ridge to the end walls. 'Iheraised portion or ledge 24 may be of anydesired shape and may be arranged to bear against the corner or acrossthe entire end wall of the tray.

The device may be located in a compartment of a refrigerator cabinetwhere it is readily-accessible when ice trays are removed from a coolias the upper horizontal extension which prevents the device. The outerend of lever 2| extends ing element, or the device may be fixed to therefrigerator cabinet or to the top of a table.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modification wherein a device similar to that shownin Figs. 1 and 2 is arranged at an edge of a table 26 or cabinet positioned against a wall 21 of a room. The device in Fig. 3 includes aU-ehaped member 28 fixed to the Wall or top of the table. One arm 29 ofmember 28 rests on the table 26 and'is provided with a ridge or rib 30,and the other arm 3| serves upward movement of the tray II when it isdistorted.

a close fit of the' Above the member 28 a lever 32 is pivotallyconnected at 33 to the wall 21. A spring 34 may be provided at thepivotal connection 33 to maintain the lever 32 in a vertical positionagainst the wall 2'! when it'is not being used. The lever 32 is providedwith'a handle portion 34' for lowering the lever and causing a ledge orbar' 35 to bear against an end wall of the tray H. The downward forceexerted at one end of the tray ll produces sufficient deformation of thetray to break the ice bond and loosen the ice cubes from the tray.

Since the lever 32 is ordinarily in a vertical position at the wall 2]and only the U-shaped member 28 is-supported on an edge of table.26, anextremely simple device is provided which effectively removes ice cubesfrom a tray and at the same time occupies a minimum amount of space onthe table. By employing a device of the character shown and describedabove, it is not necessary to provide separate lever mechanisms on anumber of trays or grids to remove ice cubes from the trays. The tray Hmay be provided with a flexible grid to facilitate the removal of theice cubes from the grid after it is removed from the tray.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be apparent that various modifications and changesmay be made without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention, as pointed out in the following claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for removing frozen matter from a shallow tray including asupport having a ridge or rib upon which the bottom of said tray isadapted to rest, an element abo'veone end of said tray when the latteris .resting on said ridge to prevent upward movement at such end whenthe opposite end of the tray is forced downward, said element and saidridge-normally being in fixed spaced relation, and means for forcing theopposite end of said tray downward to force the bottom of said trayagainst the ridge and said one end of said tray against saidelement tocause deformation of said tray to break thebond with the frozen matter.

2. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said means for forcing theopposite end of said tray downward includes a lever having a ledgeadapted to bear against the edge of said tray.

3. A device as defined in claim 1 in which said ridlgte or rib extendsdiagonally across said sup- 4. A device as defined in claim 1 in whichsaid means for forcing the opposite end of said tray downward includes'a member adapted to bear against a comerv of said tray.

5. For use with a shallow ice tray adapted to contain matter to befrozen, 9. device independent of said tray for breaking the bondbetweenthe frozen matter and said tray, said device including members in spacedrelation to engage said tray when the latter is positioned therebetween,and a member movable independently of said tray, said last-mentionedmember with move- 'ment thereof toward a part of said tray being capableof applying force on 'said tray to produce a turning moment resistedxbysaid spaced members to cause sufiicient deformation of said tray toloosen the frozen matter therefrom.

6.. For use with a shallow ice tray adapted to contain water'tobe frozenand a grid removably fitting therein, a device independent of said gridand said tray to facilitate the removal of said by said fixed means,

grid and ice cubes from said tray, said device including members inspaced relation to engage said tray when the latter is positionedtherebetween, and a member movable independently of said tray, saidlast-mentioned member with movement thereof toward a part of said traybeing capable of applying force on said tray-to produce a turning momentresisted by said spaced members to distort said tray and break the bondbetween the ice cubes and said tray.

7. For use with a shallow metal ice tray adapted to contain matter to befrozen, a device independent of said tray to facilitate the removal offrozen matter from said tray, said device including members in spacedrelation and adapted to engage said tray when the latter is positionedtherebetween, and means in addition to said members operativelyconnected to said device and constructed andarranged so that, force maybe applied on said deformation of said tray to loosen frozen mattertherefrom.

8. A device to facilitate the removal of frozen matter from a shallowice tray and including structure comprising members in spaced relationto engage said tray, and another member movably supported on said deviceand operable to apply force to one end of said tray to produce a turningmoment resisted by said spaced members to cause deformation of said trayto loosen the frozen matter therefrom. V

9. The combination, with a support member, of a tray member removablycarried by said support member and adapted to contain a substance thebond betweenits frozen contents and walls thereof.

10-. The combination, with a support member, of a tray member adapted torest on. said support member, said tray member being adapted to containmatter which may be frozen therein, movable means associated with one ofsaid members and adapted to engage a part of said other member, saidother member being actuatable to exert force tending to impart bodilymovement to at least a part of said tray member with respect to saidsupport member, and fixed means adapted to engage said tray member andlimit bodily movement of said tray member when said movable means isactuated so as to exert said force, said movable means while engagingsaidtray to produce a turning 'moment resisted by said spaced members tocause means is capable of exerting said force being so located andarranged with respect to each other that the productionof said forceimparts sufllcientlocal movement to parts of said tray member, althoughbodily'movement thereof is limited to break the frozen bond between saidtray member and frozenmatter contained therein.

11. The combination, with a support member,

of a resilient metallictray member adapted to be supported by saidsupport member and removable therefrom. said tray member being adaptedto contain'matter which may be frozen therein, a lever pivotally mountedupon one of said members, said lever being adapted to engage the otherof said members for imparting force between said members to elevate atleast a part of said tray member relative to said disposed in the, pathof elevation of said tray member, said means being fixed relative tosaid support member and adapted to be engaged by said tray member forstopping the elevation'of at least a part thereof, and said means beingarranged with respect to the point of imparting force between saidmembers to cause the force, upon engagement of said tray member withsaid means, to twist said tray member so as to break the bond betweenits frozen contents and walls thereof.

12. The combination, with a support memsupport member, means ber, of atray member adapted to rest on said support member and removabletherefrom, said tray member being stance which may be frozen therein,movable means for imparting force between said members, said means beingoperable to move at least a portion of said tray member relative to saidfixed means disposed in the path of movement of said tray member andcapable of holding a sub-'

